Case Handler

Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education Case Handler Opportunities in the Assessment & Resolution Team Join our team of highly skilled professional complaints handlers, resolving complaints from Higher Education students. We are passionate about fairness, value Higher Education in all its forms and believe that complaints provide important learning to improve the Higher Education experience for all students. The role Case-handlers at the OIA carry out a challenging and public-facing role in our Assessment and Resolution Team. They carry a varied caseload, interacting with students and Higher Education Providers to obtain key information to progress our reviews, applying the Rules of the Scheme and writing complaint adjudications. In doing so they gather, analyse and evaluate evidence with a pragmatic and strategic mind. All of our Case-handlers contribute to our outreach work, organisational targets and work towards their own individual targets so strong organisational skills and a very high level of motivation and personal resilience are essential. The Assessment and Resolution Team is a busy, vibrant and supportive working environment, so we particularly value attention to detail, a strong teamwork ethic and outstanding communication skills. Based in Reading, Berkshire, we are looking to recruit full-time Case-handlers (permanent contracts as well as one fixed term maternity cover for 12-months). The benefit package We offer the following salary packages and benefits that include: - A starting salary of £27,342 - 35 hour working week with the opportunity for ad-hoc flexible working for permanent staff - Generous holiday entitlement of 28 days (rising to 33 days) plus bank holidays - Gym membership for permanent staff - Attractive USS pension scheme - Season ticket loan Who we are The OIA is the designated operator of the student complaints scheme for higher education in England and Wales and is a recognised authority in developing good practice in the handling of student complaints. Since its inception in 2004 the OIA has grown significantly and earned the trust and respect of higher education providers, student organisations and Government. Since 2015, in addition to universities, alternative providers, FE colleges (for the higher education students) and providers of School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITTs) are also covered by the OIA Scheme. Following the Higher Education & Research Act 2017 there will be further expansion in the OIAs membership in 2018. We are a registered Charity, regulated by the Charity Commission, and a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. Equality & Diversity We welcome diversity amongst our staff and Board to reflect the nature of independent adjudication, our users and stakeholders. Therefore we would particularly welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, candidates with British, Asian and Minority Ethnicity and men who are currently under-represented in our case-handling teams. We are committed to Equality of Opportunity. Next step Further information about the work of the OIA can be found on www.oiahe.org.uk. If you are interested in either of the Case-handler roles, please click on the link for more details. To apply please go to the OIA website by clicking the apply online button shown below. The closing date for the receipt of applications is Monday, 5 March 2018. Interviews will be held during the weeks commencing 19 and 26 March 2018. We look forward to hearing from you.